Saw You’re collection of portraits on Facebook and must say there are quite a few very good ones between them. And this is one of them. Thanks for sharing and looking forward to other outings of you’re talents!

Saw You’re collection of portraits on Facebook and must say there are quite a few very good ones between them. And this is one of them. Thanks for sharing and looking forward to other outings of you’re talents!

you are very kind, hugo - thank you. messages such as yours, ones that lack possessive pronouns such as 'i', 'me', 'my' and 'mine', tend to betray an unselfish person, one with little or no ego, one who takes pleasure in focusing on his fellow acquaintances rather than himself. this is a form of rhetoric worthy of applause, and one can wonder if you have not been influenced by posts emanating from this forum's resident artist. let us hope that other contributors learn from this and refrain from thinking of themselves as the centre of the universe. bravo!

Saw You’re collection of portraits on Facebook and must say there are quite a few very good ones between them. And this is one of them. Thanks for sharing and looking forward to other outings of you’re talents!

you are very kind, hugo - thank you. messages such as yours, ones that lack possessive pronouns such as 'i', 'me', 'my' and 'mine', tend to betray an unselfish person, one with little or no ego, one who takes pleasure in focusing on his fellow acquaintances rather than himself. this is a form of rhetoric worthy of applause, and one can wonder if you have not been influenced by posts emanating from this forum's resident artist. let us hope that other contributors learn from this and refrain from thinking of themselves as the centre of the universe. bravo!

You are very kind, Geoffrey. It is not conclusively established that Hugo learned only from the example set by this very poster but an inference of this may indeed be drawn. One of the duties of the Captain of this Forum is to recognize humble praise. Well done, Geoffrey for selflessly acknowledging your superior. Goodness, read carefully, I did NOT write "you're superior", this is not time for light humour or jest a quip.

thank you, lisa and mike. you are both appreciated. in conversation, if one refrains from talking about one's self, and instead encourages others to talk about themselves, one will become better liked. so that's a cunning tactic to use should one want to be more popular. the only drawback being that one must listen to boring stuff that is seldom interesting. yet what can a person do? one needs to be courteous, show concern, lend a sympathetic ear, feign empathy - it's all a necessary part of social interaction. how can we get people to like us unless we pretend to like them? maybe this is what hugo was doing when he wrote nice things about the pictures he saw, and why he received a warm response in return. was it just a polite and positive exchange, or were there ulterior motives, sinister maneuvers specifically designed to manipulate each reciprocant into liking the other? don't trust anybody, at least if they prefer not to talk about themselves.

Dear Geoffrey, I did not make or intent to make double layered comments. As a none native English speaker it is hard enough to put thoughts in the correct English words . I very much like to visit this forum and do so several times a day to see if there are interesting new posts. Mostly as a quiet reader and now and again with a comment when I feel like it or the topic deserves it.

As a relatively newbie to this forum it is sometimes hard to follow and understand all the discussions on this forum. For instance: I frequently come across discussion between “Solongmarianne” and yourself which do not make any sense to me. Is it a kind of “in-crowd humour”’ or other form of intellectual battle between to both of you that I cannot/do not understand and/or is there some kind of feud going on? Also the posts of “Boss” baffle me mostly every time

Anyhow, as there are relatively very few daily new posts on this forum, and most of these are made by a very small group of members, these posts sometimes dominate this forum and made me raise this question.

Let this not be seen a complaint of any kind but more as a kind of wondering

If I may, I would like to address your queries. You are quite justified in “wondering” what is going on in this part of the forum, and I am certain that you are not the only one to be somewhat baffled by what you read.

The way I see it, the “Writing, Music and Art by the forum Members” subsection is a sort of private yet public playground, in which people can express themselves in whatever ways they like. Sometimes the result is in the form of obvious artworks such as paintings, poetry, and music, while at other times, it almost seems to be a private diary in which people express their thoughts, emotions, psychological problems, etc., for the world to see (although whether these posts reflect the genuine states of mind of their authors or are simply fiction/art –- or a bit of both! -– is something that we may never know).

And, of course, the exchanges in this part of the forum often manifest as creative-writing contests and/or other types of word-play between/amongst forum members. Thus, there is, indeed, as you suggested, an “in-crowd humour”, as well as some other forms of “battle” between/amongst certain longer-standing members (although I would not necessarily characterise any of it as “intellectual”!).

I think that this entire sub-section of the forum ought to have one of those “Caution: Enter At Your Own Risk” signs at the “door”, because many of the posts undoubtedly alienate, offend, and/or confuse innocent passers-by such as yourself. As one who sometimes takes part in these exchanges, I sometimes feel that way, too!

Thank you for you’re warm and thoughtful reply. I never gave the different sections on this forum much attention as I usually browse through all the “active” posts. You’re absolutely right that the poetry place should be an open area where members can express themselves in any way that fits them. So let me encourage you all to carry on. I will keep reading and keep Lisa,s wise words in the back of my head. .

Dear Hugo, as the Forum Captain I officially welcome you and look forward to considering your completed Membership Form. We are quite relaxed and there certainly is not a time limit for your application. Indeed, you may tender your form, accompanied by 6 testimonials to your Good Character, anytime before Midnight this Sunday. Late applications will obviously be ignored.

You have sought guidance on the set-up here and ask if there is any chance that you will fit in.

Leonard and I founded this Literary Haven, as no-one refers to it, in the early months of 1938. Geoffrey, then 23, was just starting Nursery School in London, England. Still unable to speak a word of the Queen's Language he suffered a knock on his head when Muhammad Ali deliberately punched him with a snub-nose M380IBULB Mini Revolver. Days later when he regained unconsciousness he became Norwegian and even to this day can talk fluent Spanish in German with a Stockholm accent.

His marriage to Lisa, "the Frisco Kid", ended in an 89th minute penalty unusually taken from the basket at the other end of the rink. It is unclear whether it will be sunny or whether it will be snowing on the impending day of their 5th Divorce Anniversary.

Despite that whether forecast each of these popular posters continue to inhabit this place although one, both, or neither of them are considering dreaming of inhabiting a more traditional one bedroom lejlighed. .

All went swimmingly in their relationship until the notorious Darts Debacle when Lisa needed 2 to finish and Geoffrey needed only 480 with one arrow left. The Prize on offer for this televised Grand Event was a NIght out with Boss ("guaranteed to feel like over 60 hours").

Inspired by the chance of such a Fantasy Date Geoffrey cast his last spear which incredibly popped into several outer rings until finally nesting in the Double 73. The grand total scored by the Norse God was thus exactly 480 and he was a Winner at last!

To her discredit, Lisa published a calculatedly defamatory Academic Paper full of bloody "cheating accusations" written in green ink and appearing in several Learned Scientific publications including Builders Weekly and Noddy Goes Shopping.

Geoffrey, keeping a straight face and curly hair, denied any wrongdoing at all. Is he completely mad! Does he think we are fulls? He explained in the Lilliput Court, one of the lowest in the Land, that the electric device he held in the non-flight hand was simply a remote control Trouser Zip mechanism.

He added "this can't be me, must be my double".

The Court found in his favour and Lisa was ordered to pay him damages of a broken window and a Rolls Royce with a dent on the front Starboard side.

I thought long and surprisingly soft about allowing this warring couple to partake here but decided in the end you are "either Forum or Against 'em".

Once again, Dear Hugo Boss, I welcome you to this exclusive site and trust you will have a Huggolig experience.

As part of your Joining Gift Pack I attach a photo of Geoffrey when he was in the physical prime of his distinguished Sporting Reign

How nice of you, Frisco Kid. Kindness is also my Mission in Life and I am as willing to help a newbie as I am to continue my crucial assistance to Geoffrey. I am Also fascinated by the ranDom use of Capital letters. I feel it tells us so little about a man. In accordance with my impOrtant words I now intend to take a month off posting here whilst I actively bribE the authorities to permit Hugo D Boss to enter the Inner Sanction of this ol' forum.

thank you for writing to or about me. nice to have it confirmed that one's opinions command attention, but like the vocalist in a rock group, the singer will always be a magnet for the cameras. the regular appearance of one's name in messages authored by others is testimony to one's strong personality. if it be my duty to shine an inspiring torch into the dark areas of nothingness, a task that is undertaken with effortless pleasure, then it is a privilege to wear a crown of laurel leaves.

by the way, no clique was consciously made here, no closed circle with in-jokes, no ménage à trois or wheels on a tricycle. if it seems there is, then i am not a member, merely the 'centre of mass', as einstein called it - my personality being the point of gravitational pull. walter scott said something like "one glorious hour is worth an age without a name" - and in a world that demands entertainment that is a good philosophy to embrace. the biggest drawback, apart from an elephant's foreskin, is that a bulb burning twice as bright burns only half as long - therefore it is necessary for my creativity to take an occasional sojourn.

the idea that i have attempted to discredit anyone's integrity was an unfair exaggeration; it was picking mushrooms with a clawhammer. apart from innocent provocation in order to stimulate the listless mind of a passing intinerant, i have done nothing that god wouldn't let me into heaven for, i can tell you that much - as that nice mr trump might say.

I am honored by your generosity to let me participate in this section and humbly await the final approval. But that can only be a matter of time. You’re endorsements will help for sure to convince all the other member.

I can not promise to be a regular contributor but I can promise to be a regular reader and appreciate the posts for what they are.